3 sentenced to more than 32 years for drug traffickingFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — An Arkansas prosecutor says three people have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 32 years in federal prison for drug trafficking offenses. U.S. Attorney Connor Eldridge says 27-year-old Leonel Padilla of Springdale was sentenced to more than seven years in prison followed by four years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine. Eldridge says also sentenced were 49-year-old Andres Diaz of Barstow...

Police: Woman used hammer to burglarize pharmacyASHDOWN (AP) — The police chief of a southwestern Arkansas community says a woman used a hammer to break into a pharmacy to steal about 3,000 pills. Ashdown Police Chief Mark Ardwin says the 33-year-old woman was a former employee of the Walgreens pharmacy. He says she was arrested about an hour after officers were notified the business was broken into Monday night. He tells the Texarkana Gazette (http://bit.ly/1zaOgMc ) that after breaking th...

Arkansas panel rejects removing Lee from King holidayLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A bid to end Arkansas' practice of commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day was rejected by lawmakers Wednesday after opponents said the move would belittle Southern heritage. The proposal would have removed Lee from the state holiday honoring King. Arkansas is one of three states to jointly celebrate the two on the third Monday in January. The House State Agen...

2nd proposal to end Arkansas' Medicaid plan in 2015 filedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A second proposal has been filed in the Legislature to end Arkansas' compromise Medicaid expansion this year, days after Gov. Asa Hutchinson called on lawmakers to continue the program through 2016. Republican Rep. Donnie Copeland of Little Rock filed a proposal Tuesday to end the "private option," which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for the poor. Copeland's proposal would end the program Dec. 31. Hutchins...

Hutchinson proposes boosting Medicaid, schools, prison fundsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' public schools, prisons and Medicaid program would receive boosts in funding while most other state agencies would see a small cut under a $5.2 billion budget plan Gov. Asa Hutchinson presented to lawmakers on Tuesday. Finance officials outlined a plan that taps into the state's surplus to fill funding gaps as lawmakers advanced Hutchinson's campaign promise to cut income taxes for the middle class by about $102 mi...

Plaintiffs object to new arguments in Arkansas marriage caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Attorneys representing same-sex couples in Arkansas are objecting to the state's request for new oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the state's gay marriage ban. Cheryl Maples and Jack Wagoner on Tuesday petitioned the Arkansas Supreme Court to deny the state's motion submitted on Friday. They say the state's request is unusual and that their clients cannot afford further delay. A Pulaski County judge in May struck down...

$7,500 reward offered after bald eagle shotLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are seeking information about the recent shooting of a bald eagle. Several other agencies, including the Humane Society of the United States, are offering a reward up to $7,500 for information leading to a conviction of those responsible for the incident. Residents found the injured bald eagle in December on an island on the Arkansas River near Pari...

Bill removing Robert E. Lee from King holiday amendedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to end Arkansas' practice of honoring Robert E. Lee on the same day as civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. is being changed to set aside another day to commemorate the Confederate general. Republican Rep. Nate Bell of Mena on Tuesday amended his proposal to remove Lee from the holiday honoring King's birthday. Arkansas is one of three states to jointly celebrate King and Lee on the third Monday in January. Th...

House panel advances governor's tax cut planLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A House panel has advanced Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's middle class tax cut package after restoring a portion of a capital gains tax break it would have repealed. The House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Tuesday endorsed Hutchinson's proposal to cut taxes by 1 percent for those making between $21,000 and $75,000 a year. The Senate approved the measure last week and it now heads to the full House. The panel backed the m...

Homeless census planned for homeless in Little Rock areaLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Central Arkansas Team Care for the Homeless plans to conduct a census count of the homeless population in central Arkansas. The count of sheltered and unsheltered people will be conducted Tuesday night in four counties in the Little Rock area — Pulaski, Lonoke, Prairie, and Saline. Volunteers plans to distribute flyers throughout the area identifying satellite locations where volunteers will be working. The 2014 count co...

Coroner: Body of missing fisherman pulled from Lake ConwayMAYFLOWER (AP) — The Faulkner County coroner says the body of a missing fisherman has been found in Lake Conway. Coroner Patrick Moore says Wesley C. Dinwiddie of Sherwood was found about 7:30 a.m. Monday, roughly half a mile west of the Pierce Creek access off Arkansas 89 in Mayflower. He says it appears that Dinwiddie, a retired employee of Union Pacific Railroad, drowned after his fishing boat capsized. An autopsy is being planned to confir...

Man found dead inside van outside Pine Bluff sports barPINE BLUFF (AP) — Central Arkansas police say they're investigating as suspicious a man's death whose body was found inside a parked van. The Pine Bluff Police Department says officers discovered the body Monday morning outside a sports bar. Police spokesman Sgt. David De Foor said in a statement that emergency responders were unable to revive the man, whose name isn't being released until his family has been notified. Although police are inve...

Arkansas man tells Fayetteville police he was stabbedFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Police in Fayetteville say a man claims he was stabbed in the back during a fight with two other men. Police spokesman Sgt. Craig Stout says 48-year-old James Richard Gustus told police he was beaten and stabbed in the back by two men who drove up in a black SUV about 3 a.m. Saturday. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1tdjwdX ) Gustus had been outside getting firewood for a barbecue when the men sto...

Committee to interview 15 for Arkansas higher-education postLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A six-member search committee plans to extend interviews to 15 applicants vying to be the next director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Current Director Shane Broadway plans to leave to become vice president of governmental relations for the Arkansas State University System. Broadway, who makes $168,128 a year in the director's post, has led the department since February 2011. The Department of Higher E...

Options sought for replacement of historic Arkansas bridgeBENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas officials are seeking comments from the public as they begin to craft plans to replace the historic War Eagle Bridge. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1CUnok5 ) that the bridge in Benton County must be replaced after it was flagged by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department for serious structural deficiencies. Benton County Judge Bob Clinard says studying the site, doing engineer...

1 person is dead, another critical after Arkansas shootingLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Police in Little Rock says one man is dead and another is in critical condition following a shooting. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1uNmG9B ) that police received a report that two men were lying near a street about 10:25 p.m. Saturday. A police report says officers found 30-year-old Angel Gonzalez and 20-year-old Uriel Costilla-Mata surrounded by a large amount of blood after sustaining multiple...

Crews to continue search for missing Arkansas fishermanCONWAY, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says it will continue its search this week for a missing 65-year-old man who disappeared after going fishing in Faulkner County. Chief Deputy Matt Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office says family of Wesley Dinwiddie alerted authorities after he didn't return home Sunday afternoon from an area near Pierce Creek Landing in central Arkansas. Authorities say they suspended the searc...

Lawmakers look at keeping part of '13 capital gains tax cutLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A House leader says Arkansas lawmakers are looking at changing Gov. Asa Hutchinson's tax cut package to restore part of a $21 million capital gains tax reduction that would otherwise be repealed. House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Joe Jett said Monday lawmakers are looking at the change as they try to move quickly on Hutchinson's proposal to cut income taxes 1 percent for those making between $21,000 and $75...

UAMS awarded $538,000 grant for opioid studyLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A pair of researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will study how opioids are prescribed and dispensed by doctors and pharmacists. The $538,781 grant by the National Insitute on Drug Abuse will cover three years' of study by Geoff Curran and Bradley Martin at the UAMS College of Pharmacy. Opioids are pain relievers that include codeine, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone. The researchers will loo...